I'm a pretty average person who grew up in a lower middle class/middle class family with a harsh father and a compassionate mother. I got excellent grades all through primary, middle and high school. I went to and graduated from college with a bachelors degree in biology. When I applied to graduate school the counselor said, "You had a good time in college, didn't you?" I chuckled and asked, "what makes you say that?" He observed that I got poor grades in some easy classes but good grades in harder ones. He was right, I learned how to party in college. I almost failed freshman physiology (twice) but conquered what was reported to be the hardest class - genetics. I did manage to graduate in 4 years, so there's that, lol.
Against this incredibly brief background, I'd like to discuss my feelings regarding a few ongoing cases/trials, while also keeping this in mind:
We don't see things how they are, we see them how we are. ~Anais Nin
Menendez Brothers
Lyle and Eric Menendez grew up in an insular upper class way. Plus they're male which means their pre-frontal cortex matured more slowly than mine did as a female (IMO, anyway). While some would dispute the abuse they suffered I believe it was fairly evident, I'm just unsure as to the degree. However, I have much compassion for the boys that were pushed very hard by their father (and, to some degree, their mother). As a woman who was unable to get completely out from her father's thumb until I was almost 40, I have a bit of understanding of what Lyle and Eric endured. However, I have no understanding regarding how they chose to address the situation. But being afraid of your father? That one hits me straight in my gut. Having said all of this, I agree that the two men deserve to be resentenced to time served. I mean, Adnan Syed was, so why not Lyle and Eric?
Idaho 4
I cannot begin to comprehend what happened that November day in 2022. I do remember what it was like to be a college student who went pretty much all in on a "good time" back in the day. And how that could warp how I perceived things. Is that what happened to the two surviving roommates? I don't know, but I can allow for the possibility that it could have. I believe that Brian Kohberger deserves a vigorous defense which may or may not involve scrutinizing the roommates' behavior during and after the event. I have not yet listened to the 911 call, I'm all full up on Karen Read at the moment. However, I can see a world where two scared college students who could have been drunk and/or high on substances may not have behaved as a sober fully grown adult might. And how they could have eventually passed out and not called 911 until much later. Nobody could comprehend that early morning heebie jeebies would result in mass murder. So I have much compassion for the survivors.
Karen Read
Those convinced of Karen Read's guilt are stuck on such minutia as her calling her mom after 1 am and the fact that she left nasty voicemails for her boyfriend after dropping him off. I can only think that there are a faction of people that 1. Don't have a relationship with their parents where they feel comfortable contacting then when confronted with what seemed to be an untenable situation. and 2. Have never been spitting mad at their partner. I had a mom that could've and would've absolutely called had I been in Karen's shoes that night. And my hubby has received a myriad of nasty grams from me, especially back in my drinking days. Karen knew John would not leave his niece unattended over night and the fact that it looked like he might be doing just that is what prompted Karen's attempt at discussing the situation with her mother and/or leaving increasingly irate messages for John. And for those that like to point to these facts and also say that Karen somehow purposely hit John's car to disguise her actions I ask why didn't Karen just go all the way home then oversleep? 'Cuz that would've been so much easier than all of these supposed machinations, IMO.
And one last thing regarding the Karen Read trial. This face reminds me SO much of my father when he scared me (and my friends) that I'm sure the jury did, indeed, feel intimidated.
Everybody is presumed innocent until and if proven otherwise in a court of law. But even then, it doesn't mean we can't show compassion. Nor does it mean we can't ask questions.
PS To those that don't find Richard Allen's pre-trial treatment abhorrent, shame on you!